Council votes to extend contract for new Fire Station 5

Design rendering shows the plans for the new Fire Station 5 in Menifee.

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The Menifee City Council last week approved a time extension and cost increase for the design of the new Fire Station 5, which will replace the outdated station currently in service in Quail Valley.

The existing Fire Station 5 is a wood-framed building that was built in the 1960s on Goetz Road near Palm Drive. It can accommodate only three personnel and has size constraints, as well as building standards that are no longer up to code. The new facility will be built about a mile south on Goetz Road on a 1.4-acre vacant lot south of Vista Way.

In addition to being a modern facility with more space and personnel, the new Fire Station 5 will be better located and equipped to serve the rapidly growing Audie Murphy Ranch community as well as Quail Valley. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in June.

The City Council approved an agreement with CannonDesign in the amount of $612,347 for design services in April 2021. That agreement was set to expire on Feb. 28, with design plans at about 60 percent completion, according to a city document. Delays in the design schedule are attributed to necessary modifications and expansion of the building footprint design requested by the Riverside County Fire Department and the City of Menifee.

Additional cost of the services is $349,713. The amended agreement extends the term through June 30, 2023 to ensure services will be provided through the project’s timeline, including construction and post-construction phases.

The current Fire Station 5 in Quail Valley is outdated and due to be replaced with a new facility.